1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a releasable binding assembly for retaining the shoes or boots of a skier on a single gliding board, particularly, but not exclusively, a snowboard or a monoski.
2. Discussion of Background Information
There are known bindings which are capable of retaining a shoe or boot on a gliding board, but which do not permit release. These bindings do not permit the skier to practice this sport in safety because, in case of a fall, the release of the shoes or boots is not possible, which can thus cause injury.
Releasable bindings are likewise known, particularly for a monoskis, which are capable of releasing a boot when it exerts a biasing force on the binding which exceeds a predetermined threshold. However, in such known bindings, there is no linkage between the bindings which retain the two boots so that one of the skier's shoes or boots can be held in place on the board, while the other has been previously released following an excessive bias. This also creates a dangerous situation for the skier because, in case of a fall, it is possible that a boot may remain attached to the monoski, possibly resulting in a foot or leg injury, particularly due to the relatively large weight of the board.
A releasable binding system is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,652,007. An assembly is described therein including four conventional bindings, two front bindings and two rear bindings, which releasably retain intermediate plates which support the skier's boots. Between the two pairs of bindings for the two boots, a sliding plate is mounted. When one of the intermediate plates is released, the sliding plate is freed for movement, which increases the spacing between the two bindings which retain the remaining intermediate plate. As a result, the remaining intermediate plate is in turn permitted to be released from the board.
This device gives good results, but still has the disadvantage that the four binding elements must be aligned along a single axis. In addition, the release of an intermediate plate affects the spacing of the binding elements which retain the other intermediate plate, and does not affect the return force which retains the other intermediate plate on the board. In other words, the intermediate plate which is released last is not released by the opening of or by the disarming of the binding means which retain it.
Consequently, after release of the two feet, manual intervention is necessary to recenter the sliding plate, on the one hand, and to replace the bindings in the open position, ready to be put on, on the other hand.
In addition, if by accident the sliding plate does not move after release of a boot, the other boot will not be safely released.